Dental hygienists Veronica Montebello and Jackie Schembri recently delivered a presentation on dental maintenance to residents at Casa Antonia, Balzan. They explained to the elderly and their relatives why oral hygiene is key to dental health and to effectively keep mouth disease and pain at bay.

The dental hygienists said proper denture cleaning was needed not only for its maintenance but more importantly to avoid bacterial growth. “While toothpaste is great for teeth, the same does not apply for dentures,” said Monica Abdilla, country manager for Glaxosmithkline Consumer Healthcare, manufacturers of Corega denture care products, which sponsored the presentation.

“Toothpaste contains many ingredients, including fluoride, detergents and abrasives. Abrasives are too harsh for denture material, which is softer than tooth enamel.

“Abrasives can scratch dentures, and odour-causing bacteria can grow in scratches. You can’t see those microscopic scratches, but they are the perfect breeding grounds for bacteria.”

Natural tooth enamel is, in fact, about 20 times harder than the surface of dentures.

Oral health is very important for people with denture because of the potential impact on their health. A recent world dental congress confirmed that unclean dentures are a chronic source of potentially harmful bacteria and fungi that may be associated with oral disease and increase the risk of conditions like heart disease, hypertension and diabetes.

It was also stressed that dentures need to be cleaned daily with effective antimicrobial and antifungal agents.

Evidence shows that as denture wearers’ nutritional intake declines, the function of the immune system and body re­pair is suppressed, leading to the de­velopment of oral and other diseases.

Angus Walls, professor of restorative den­tistry and director of research at the School of Dental Sciences, Newcastle University, UK, also told the congress that denture stability is key to improv­ing confidence of users of dentures in their ability to chew.

The use of denture adhe­sives may help to stabilise dentures and help im­prove chewing efficiency.

Proper denture care includes brushing and soaking dentures in the right products every day to clean and freshen them without scratching.